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Scotland’s greatest folk song collection to be performed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre

19th November 2013

On Saturday 30th November, the Scottish Storytelling Centre will be showcasing the Greig-Duncan Collection as part of our St Andrew’s Day Celebrations. The Greig-Duncan Collection consists of almost 2000 folk songs associated with the north-east of Scotland, giving a valuable insight into the social and cultural history of the area.

The Events

In this afternoon workshop, Frieda Morrison and musician Aileen Carr will delve into the Collection to uncover the riches of this remarkable resource. Workshop participants will gain an appreciation of its cultural value and will learn how to navigate the Collection to search for material. Participants will also use the Collection to develop their own musical skills and will be given song suggestions to suit their voice and capabilities for future personal development.

That evening, Frieda and Aileen will be joined by fellow acclaimed Scottish musicians, Steve Byrne, Lucy Pringle, Alison McMorland, Geordie McIntyre, Sarah Beattie and Jo Miller, with special guest Fraser Fifield, to perform a selection of folk songs from the Collection. We hope you can join us for a treasure trove of traditional Scottish music.

About the Grieg-Duncan Collection

The Grieg-Duncan Collection was complied by Aberdeenshire schoolmaster, Gavin Greig, and Reverend James Bruce Duncan, with over 480 contributors from different social backgrounds. The Collection features love songs, children’s songs, nonsense songs, songs about the military, the Scottish countryside, the home, social life and historical songs.

"Many [songs] they collected from individuals, they took down the music and so on. There was a feeling that music might be lost from tradition unless it was captured by hearing people sing." Collection editor Dr Emily Lyle.

Recently, the Greig-Duncan Collection has sparked interest from the press due to its digital revival, led by Scottish broadcaster and musician, Frieda Morrison. As part of her residency at the department of Celtic & Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh (2012-13), Frieda recorded 35 songs from the Collection, performed by 16 contemporary Scottish musicians. These recordings are now available to watch on the University’s youtube channel with the aim of engaging a wider audience with Scottish folk culture. Collectively, the videos have had almost 8000 views and it continues to rise.

"Many of them are great songs, some of them are very well known. They're classics in the folk song tradition but we've also tried to represent some less well known songs." Singer Kath Campbell.